Mom & daughter rock it

Mother-daughter farming duo Adolphine and Ujama Mushimba inherited a family farming business that they have elevated to such an extent that they were amongst the Top 10 Meatco Producers for May 2017.

Meatco chatted with Ujama to find out more about them and their flourishing business.

Meatco: In which area do you farm?

UM: In the Okahandja district bordering Hochfeld.

Meatco: When did you get into the farming business?

UM: I'm a second-generation farmer who took over the business after my father passed away a few years ago. The farm was technically not fully commercial, so I undertook to make it fully commercial in 2014, even though my father had been a producer for 10+ years before that.

Meatco: Is it tough being an emerging farmer in the industry?

UM: I think all farmers generally face what I do; lack of experience, not understanding the farming culture and of course taking over during a drought made wrapping my head around the operations and sustainability a challenge.

Meatco: Considering you are a second-generation farmer, do you see yourself as a natural farmer?

UM: Farming has grown on me, since I wasn't exposed to farming as much as I am now. Now I know a lot more about farm management, animal health and I am enjoying it. I am definitely a farmer who loves the farm.

Meatco: Do you take care of all the operations?

UM: It's a family business so all of us are involved, and we were blessed having the herd numbers we had when we inherited the farm from my father.

Meatco: How can Meatco assist farmers?

UM: As an emerging farmer it would be nice to get advice and assistance from technical advisors especially regarding our herds. Having that interaction would be greatly beneficial to many emerging farmers who have just started to produce for Meatco. Being at the farm and offering support in terms of how one can improve the animal quality and be a better producer would be greatly appreciated beyond the financial relationship.

Meatco: Any advice to other emerging and future farmers?

UM: Look at this as a long-term business, since farming is not an overnight success. I started by educating myself, by doing farming courses and learning to understand animal health, self-education on Meatco loading, animal grading and getting really hands-on. It's important to upscale in any industry that one gets into. But it is a technical industry where some periods are better than others, so look at it in the long-term.

Meatco: What have the highlights of being a producer been thus far?

UM: Being a Monthly Top 10 Producer is certainly a highlight. We push to produce A0 and A1 cattle as a team when selecting a load. Another highlight is having being able to withstand the worst of the drought without being as hard hit as other farmers that I know of. I believe stockpiling everything helped.

Meatco: What could Meatco do better?

UM: Strengthening programmes for emerging farmers would be greatly appreciated. I'm one of those farmers who don't see any other option since I like Meatco's consistency. I sell whatever the price may be, but the revenue is guaranteed as I'm not in the business of fluctuation. Yes, we all have issues with the price here and there but I certainly enjoy the fact that Meatco keeps with the times by adding new initiatives like the futures contract.



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